Citation and License

Nutrition Journal 2009, 8:45
doi:10.1186/1475-2891-8-45

Published: 1 October 2009

Abstract

Background

The glycaemic response to foods is dependent on the quality and content of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates in the form of dietary fibre have favourable effects on insulin and
glucose metabolism and may help to control energy intake. Dairy products have a relatively
low carbohydrate content, and most of the carbohydrate is in the form of lactose which
causes gastrointestinal symptoms in part of the population. In order to avoid these
symptoms, dairy products can be replaced with lactose-free dairy products which are
on the market in many parts of the world. However, the effects of lactose-free products
on insulin and glucose metabolism have not been studied.

Methods

In the present study, we investigated the effects of 1) a lactose-free milk drink,
2) a novel fibre-enriched, fat- and lactose-free milk drink and 3) normal fat-free
milk on serum glucose and insulin levels and satiety using a randomized block design.
Following an overnight fast, 26 healthy volunteers ingested 200 ml of one of these
drinks on three non-consecutive days. Insulin and glucose levels and subjective satiety
ratings were measured before the ingestion of the milk product and 20, 40, 60, 120
and 180 minutes after ingestion. The responses were calculated as the area under the
curve subtracted by the baseline value (AUC minus baseline).

Results

The insulin response was significantly lower for the fibre-enriched milk drink than
it was for the other milk products (AUC, P = 0.007). There were no differences in the response for glucose or in the AUC for
the subjective satiety ratings between the studied milk products.

Conclusion

The present results suggest that this novel milk drink could have positive effects
on insulin response.